SIZZLING
DAYS OF SUMMER ARE HERE
July through September U.S. Summer Outlook

June
20, 2006 — As spring rolls out and summer rolls in, the weather patterns
for the remainder of June are typical for what the nation can expect
for the rest
of the summer. (Click NOAA image for larger view of summer
2006 temperature outlook for the months July through September. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The
Summer Outlook
Seasonal forecasters at the NOAA
Climate Prediction Center are expecting above normal temperatures
west of the Mississippi, in the state of Florida, in the New England
region and in the southern half of Alaska. NOAA cautions the public,
these areas could very well expect high temperatures for prolonged days,
triggering heat waves and creating wildfire risks in many areas, especially
in the West. In contrast, below-average temperatures are expected in
Hawaii this season.

The seasonal
precipitation forecast is less certain. However, there is a tendency
for dryness in the southern Plains and wetness in the southern Atlantic
states this summer.

U.S.
Drought Status
Currently, extreme to exceptional drought (the highest rating depicted
on the current U.S.
Drought Monitor) is in the Southwest, extending northeastward into
western Oklahoma and southeastern Colorado. Also, extreme drought affects
northeast Colorado into southwest Nebraska, as well parts of southern
Texas and the central Gulf coast. (Click NOAA image for larger
view of summer 2006 precipitation outlook for the months July through
September. Click here
for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)

"Improvement
in drought conditions is likely along the Gulf Coast states and up the
Appalachians," said Douglas Lecomte, NOAA Climate Prediction Center's
drought specialist. He added, "Although we cannot count on major
relief for much of the drought stricken area in the central and southern
Plains, the outlook for the next two weeks does calls for less heat
and increased rainfall to provide some reason for near-term optimism."

"With
El
Niño/La Niña neutral conditions in place, seasonal
weather will be driven by more subtle impacts from global sea surface
temperatures along with random fluctuations of the circulation pattern
and feedbacks from ground and soil content levels feeding back into
the atmosphere," said Michael Halpert, NOAA Climate Prediction
Center's seasonal forecaster.

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agency of the U.S. Department of
Commerce, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national
safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related
events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal
and marine resources.

Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
NOAA is working with its federal partners, 61 countries and the European
Commission to develop a global network that is as integrated as the
planet it observes, predicts and protects.